Telenor Sweden rolls out IM
Rating: we need the Wizard of Oz
By Annie Turner
Telenor Sweden customers now have access to their Windows Live Instant Messaging (IM) service on their mobile phones through http://www.oz.comOZ’s IM solution. Telenor Sweden’s IM service is available free of change for the first three months, then, it will cost 39Kr a month (USD6). The solution is available on the following devices: Sony Ericsson K610i, K800i, W810i and the w880, as well as the Nokia 5500.
The OZ Mobile IM Client is already deployed on over 90 million devices. The OZ Mobile IM Gateway enables operators to offer their subscribers’ affordable access to portal branded IM services (AOL, MSN, Yahoo!) on their mobile devices. The OZ IMPS Server complies with the Open Mobile Alliance’s specifications for Instant Messaging and Presence Services (IMPS) so mobile operators can build their own IM communities and immediately capitalise on IMPS.
According to Yankee Group the consumer mobile IM market is growing at a steady pace with over 77 million consumers using it. It is projected to reach 167 million users by 2010.
Well the polite version is a drop in a bucket. Hats off to OZ, but the situation could do with the intervention of the Wizard of Oz. Where’s the large scale deployments and interoperability? Over the rainbow, it seems with the bluebirds. Operators are being too slow with IM roll-out, scared of cannibalising their SMS revenues. Get over it. SMS will continue apace and IM will bring a mega new revenue stream. I really can’t see the problem.
And if operators don’t crack on with IM, they’ll be out of the picture altogether because most people who are using IM now are doing it via their browser anyway, giving operators no revenue when used in conjunction with a flat rate data package.
GoMo News to operators: Toto, we’re not in bloody Kansas, we’re running a business. Act like it.
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